Linlithgow win WL Top Ten title

Kirkliston are the acknowledged giants of the Top Ten format and have captured the County title on 11 occasions and reigned four times as national champions.

The final produced an epic battle with Linlithgow wins on the Pairs and Triples to set up a 4-4 share of the points but their shot aggregate ensured victory by a margin of ten points.

The most significant contribution for Linlithgow came in the unexpected direction of the Pairs with Andy Cruickshanks and Scott Mushet producing a brilliant performance to defeat internationalists Steven Forrest and Neil Speirs.

Speirs is always looked upon as a banker to win but the 2014 Commonwealth Games gold medal winner and his high-profile lead were thumped 19-11 with their opposition exploding into an 11-0 lead then powering to 19-4 in great style.

Graeme Byrne stepped into the shoes of the unavailable Steven Fleming and, not unexpectedly, the two-time national title holder proved to be a supersub by skipping Scott Murphy and Mark Graham to victory in the Triples.

Kirkliston’s Scott Logan, John Aitken and Calum Logan led 8-7 after eight ends but were rocked back on to their heels when Byrne and Co whipped up a whirlwind finish of 3, 3, (1), 4, 1 and stormed to an 18-9 upset.

Grant Logan did his bit for the Kirkliston cause when delivering in the Singles where he edged Gary Orr, 21-19, in a marathon 30-end thriller.

And Raymond Logan kept the outcome in doubt by skipping Nathan McKendrick, Jordan Pearce and Mark Allison to a crucial 16-11 victory over Andy Grimshaw Jnr, Alastair Stenhouse, Derek Logie and Gary Smith.

But it turned out to be Linlithgow’s day.